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aTallGuyNH - Yes, Arabesque will show up in recitals eventually - probably in August. I am targeting the Nocturne for May. It is almost ready to start trying to record. I would like to be ahead of the game for once.

FarmGirl & JimF - now I am dying to know your 3 against 4 rhyme! Mine is easy and can be sung by a choir "I -will not - make a mistake - today".

Well, I think I caught the "bad lesson" flu this week. It was a near disaster. I woke up to 10 centimeters of new snow and knew my usual bus - train connections to Zurich would not work. So, my wonderful husband drove me, but with the traffic it was harrowing for both of us. I arrived on time, but totally stressed out. My hands were literally shaking. I plowed my way through the first 1/2 of the Arabesque, not exactly the way I planned. This was the first lesson where I was supposed to play the invention hands together, and it looked like a foreign language to me. So my teacher reminded me to practice in small sections from the end. At least I think she understood why I was so brainless.

JimF, you know you're going to get pestered about the 3-against-4 ditty you gave FarmGirl until you 'fess up. Might I suggest you use pig-latin so you can get it past the PW censors? Just kidding.

Sand Tiger wrote (boldface mine):

Quote:

...For example two months ago, I didn't know the word ostinato or how to spell it. Today, I consciously use ostinatos in my own compositions and can explain what it means. An ostinato is a short repetitive pattern in the music. Bolero is cited as a famous example, but they occur a lot and can be as simple as two alternating notes....

Cool. Though I had heard of the word, I didn't know what ostinato meant either until a couple of weeks ago. I happened to be listening to the old "Shickele Mix" program on my mp3 player while out for a walk and he mentioned 'ostinato' and then explained what it meant. The thing that fixed the definition in my mind was that he said its origin (Italian and Latin) was the equivalent of 'obstinate,' which is what ostinato is-- repetitive, pushing onward, etc.

My AOTW. I've been getting Canon in D in fairly consistently at 6 1/2 minutes. I now need to slow it back down again and do some work with the metronome. I also returned to Chopin's Waltz in A minor (posthumous). I worked on it for a time this spring, and then my kitty cat died and the minor key was hard on me. But I picked it up again a few weeks ago and it came back pretty quickly--along with my problems with measures 17-24, wouldn't you know. It helps if I watch (glance at) my left hand. Right hand seems to know pretty well where it has to go.

aTallGuyNH, have you tried emailing the clip to yourself and downloading. My computer does not like the MP4 format. I need a separate converter program to make a MP3. I believe the one I have is called AnyVideoConverter, but there are several utilities to choose from.

Thanks Sand Tiger, the email idea worked!

I have no idea why, but for some reason a direct copy via USB to the PC results in an unusable file, but emailing it works. Very strange! The problem w/ the email is that of course it can't be used for MP4 or WAV files of any significant length. Even an MP3 (see below) is extremely slow to upload when emailing from the phone.

Any idea of what the root cause might be? I've Googled to no avail re: why the USB transfer results in a useless file. One thing I noticed is that the emailed files are ~50% the size of the USB transferred files. Not sure if that's a useful clue or not.

Since I can't email the large files, I got an app (free!) called MediaConverter that converts from all sorts of formats to MP3 or MP4. Lickety split I had an MP3 from both WAV and MP4 files. Woohoo!

Still, even the MP3 files have to be emailed to work. Moving across USB doesn't do the trick.

Bonus -- I found out that my phone is recording in stereo! I had no idea... awesome.

So... can you help with my sticky keys?

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"...when you do practice properly, it seems to take no time at all. Just do it right five times or so, and then stop." -- JimF

I admire all you guys who consistently keep going through this thread and commenting on each individual achievement — and I have to admit that it's nice to receive that kind of feedback with a personal touch. So that will be my goal for next week: not only read every post here, but to respond to each one individually.

For now, let me just say that it's delightful to read about everyone's accomplishments, and I'm cheering you all on quietly.

That said ... It hasn't quite been a week yet (although, technically, it's already Wednesday here ... barely, but still), but my AOTW will be that I managed to play every day this week despite not having a piano at home.

Last Wednesday, and then again this Tuesday, I played at a local pub. This was not quite as scary as I had feared, since there was a lot of background noise and people pretty much ignored me, if they heard me play at all. Thursday, I went to the piano store, as I explained up thread. Saturday, I pulled the same routine again at a different piano store. Sunday I played at a friend's house. The piano was dreadfully out of tune, but beggars can't be choosers. Monday, I played in class before and after music theory. On each of those occasions, I played for at least an hour total. Friday was the outlier. I had to sing in a choir at City Hall that night. Between rehearsals, I snuck in five minutes on the Bösendorfer concert grand.

Today (well, at 6 PM today, it's now almost 1 AM) will be my piano lesson. Which makes the circle round.

The bad news is, I still don't have a good e-cital recording. Turns out it's tricky, when you give yourself only one take because you are hogging someone else's piano and people are listening. Apart from the one magical time on the Fazioli at the store, I haven't managed a single note-perfect rendition .

I guess my ideal AOTW for next week will therefore be the same one as last week's: find an empty room containing a reasonably in-tune piano, and get that recording in the bag.

Hi All, I haven't posted all week as I have been taking pictures up river of the bald eagles. They winter here every year. Also playing around with the new Q3HD and finally got it almost figured out. I did record a couple of my practices this week (a humbling experience) and was disappointed with the results. I am not sure what bit rate and htz to use or what 'gain" low high or auto. The "auto" setting gives a very "ringy" sound to the audio. The furnished manual leaves a lot to be desired.

My lesson today was good and I have asked teacher to let me pick a different piece (other than Canon in D) for my intro to any classical effort. She agreed and I chose to begin with Night Song. It doesn't look too complicated but who knows yet <shrug>, looks can fool you. I also played Amazing Grace for her which hadn't been assigned, just something I had worked on to practice my triplets. She said it was "lovely" and that made me feel good. Thumb is doing great with only a bandaid so that's a relief.

I have also puchased Hannah Smith's "Progressive Sightreading Exercises for Piano and committed 15 min a day to it. My sightreading is weak right now, especially in the bass clef.

It is hard to keep up with all the input,and to respond to everyone --- sometimes we can do it, other times...well, we just send a group cheer!

SwissMS, sounds like your teacher was very understanding and supportive - but that's tough, being so stressed for your lesson.

Stubbie, you're working on 2 of my favourite pieces ! I am smiling just thinking about them - you must be having a wonderful time!

Tallguy - that's great you can record now! We'll be waiting to hear you !

Saranoya - you must be going nuts waiting for delivery of your piano!!!!! Good for you for getting in your playing every day, that IS quite an achievement!

Ragdoll.... Is photography your passion or your profession (or both!)? Great to get such nice feedback from your teacher!

Saranoya, I agree with MaryBee. You can't stress about note-perfect.Even if you do get all the notes right, you might flub the dynamics, or just as you finish your final chord the phone will ring...What we all do is to play as best as we can at the given point in time.

My ATOW ..hmmm... Well, I had a good lesson and best of all, I've seen an osteopath (who also happens to my one of my students) - and he is working miracles with the muscle tension problems I've had in my neck, shoulders and arms. Even the lingering problems with the trigger finger seem to have disappeared since the last treatment. I'm thrilled.

_________________________XVIII-XXXVIIFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90

Tallguy - that's great you can record now! We'll be waiting to hear you !

Thanks... but I realized that there is one more overriding factor that I keep forgetting, which is that I haven't performed it for my wife yet.

I'm looking forward to sharing it, but it is first and foremost a very personal/intimate gift for her. It just wouldn't be OK to record it and share it with others before performing it for her. Theoretically, I could record it (piano only) ahead of time and have it ready to go, then post to PW on the evening of 2/14 after performing it for her live (with vocal). Valentine's Day would be the perfect occasion.

This is really unlikely to work though. My voice is a wreck (I've been sick off and on for weeks) and I don't have the simultaneous singing/playing thing at a level where it flows properly. Grrrrr!

And, there is literally not a single other thing that I know how to play. I'm half tempted to post Mary Had a Little Lamb as an act of humbling myself... but I'd need to learn it first.

Originally Posted By: casinitaly

Saranoya, I agree with MaryBee. You can't stress about note-perfect.Even if you do get all the notes right, you might flub the dynamics, or just as you finish your final chord the phone will ring...What we all do is to play as best as we can at the given point in time.

Finally mustered up the courage to make an appointment with the local piano dealer. It's a pretty small shop, with the owner mostly doing technician work and only selling pianos for two days a week. He's actually going to close the shop next month, so there were only few pianos left, going for pretty nice prices. I spent three hours going back and forth trying them all. This sounds soooo much better than my digital!

I'll most likely want to visit a few more stores, though. The brand new Yamaha P121N Silent seemed quite alright, but it wasn't tuned anymore and didn't sound very convincing. Then there was a cheap Kawai BL11 which was LOUD. It sounded very good for its price, under 3k euros. The final piano I tried was a wooden 1871 "Gebr. Perzina" upright, which must have been recently tuned because it sounded awesome. I'm just not sure if I like this particular colour of wood (doesn't fit with my furniture) or the 5k price tag. Of course, the Silent was even more expensive.

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David Lanz - Dark HorseYiruma - River Flows In You

Week 48: After recording for the recital or after a performance day, there is often a let down. For the self-directed, there is also the question of what next? I go back to Canon in D. After going through about a dozen different arrangements and tutorials these past many weeks, I take segments from several of them to piece together a simple version that seems reasonable to me. String players may grimace, because I am sure my cobbled together arrangement won't match anything they ever saw on their music stands. I still play my recital piece Shadow. I find special joy playing the last few bars over and over. There is something about the key sequence, the sound, of those closing bars of music, that makes me want to repeat it. It might be because that phrase came to me late one evening, when I got out of bed to play a few bars of music. I recorded it, then the next day integrated it.

Another MuseScore download is a new project, the Hobbit movie song, Misty Mountains Cold. In addition to some scores, I view a gaggle of videos, tutorials. The most entertaining ones are the choral arrangements. The main theme is so simple, and yet, it grows on a person. The easiest arrangements for Misty are for melody instruments. However, those sound tinny on piano. I have some fun playing some variations on the tune, but don't know enough to fill it out to get a full sound while maintaining the strength of the melody. The piano arrangements that I find are beyond my current skill level. I don't know if Misty or Canon will get to performance ready. I often poke at tunes and then conclude they aren't ready for prime time and drop them.

YouTubes for this week, include the already mentioned Hobbit downloads, and two long excerpts from the movie August Rush. At the last Songmakers hoot, someone mentioned that movie. August Rush is about a vagabond child who is a prodigy at composition. Anyone that writes their own music or feels a spiritual connection to their music, will have a special appreciation for the movie.

The final piano I tried was a wooden 1871 "Gebr. Perzina" upright, which must have been recently tuned because it sounded awesome. I'm just not sure if I like this particular colour of wood (doesn't fit with my furniture) or the 5k price tag. Of course, the Silent was even more expensive.

Warlock214, I am enjoying the new Casio. Sounds like you are doing the same. That is an impressive list of tunes, even with simple arrangements for one weekend. I hope you recorded something for the current ABF recital.

Do remember to take breaks, and listen to your body. If the body starts to complain, ease up. I was one of many enthusiastic beginners that over did it early and got sidelined.

Some months ago, I tried to learn Mozart's Eine Kliene Nachtmusik, but my mind and fingers could not process the polyrhythms. I don't know if your easy version has the offset rhythms or not. In any case, well done.

Sand Tiger, I'm enjoying my PX-150 too! You are right...your body and mind will let you know when to take a break. I will upload some recordings very soon!!

The Eine Kliene Nachtmusik version I learned is from the Faber's Adult Piano Adventures Book 1. It's scaled down some but similar to the Level 1 versions I've seen on the internet. Thanks and good luck!!

Hi I've been sick since last week. I think this is just a cold. I just always get feverish. I did not do very much beside uploading my not so great Brahms piece. Played through the Bach P&F (f minor from wtc book2) today. Could not touch Mozart or Haydn very much. My sight reading experiment with Haydn piece is going darn well. My teacher is having me learn the piece without looking down my hands or the piano keys. Of course I'm doing it slowly. But it's easier than I thought. I wish I had done this years ago. I recommend everyone to try this if you haven't done so. I think it will give a boost to your sight reading capability.

Ragdoll - I get quite a kick out of photography too, but more with getting neat shots with shadows than wildlife. Perhaps because when I have the camera in hand, I'm not usually in a place I'm likely to find animals.

TallGuy, I can see why you won't submit your piece to the recital (unless you get it in right after performing for your wife!).... I can't sing and play either, though it is one of my ambitions. I know of one of our ABFers who plays and then records the vocals.

Warlock - congrats on finishing up Unit 3 - how very satisfying to have such a concrete benchmark of your progress!

Allard - it is fun, and stressful in a way, to be hunting for your piano. I've got a Yammaha 112 with the silent feature and I love it. I got mine second hand, which really makes a difference on the price. (ok, mine is smaller too, and that makes another difference). I believe mine is comparable in size to the B2 sold in the USA, but looks like the B1. It isn't made anymore.Funnily enough, my piano was made in England. I have no idea how it got over to Italy. It was in pristine condition, though it was 7 years old. It is , in my opinion, well worth looking at second hand - especially if you need the Silent option.

Sand Tiger, I had to look up Hemiolas. That's the second time this week I've had to look up terms used in the ABF. I'm certainly getting my education! I understand what you mean about the post-submission blues. (Hey, maybe that's an option for you .. compose a blues song about finishing up your submission!).... I think the only sollution to that is to have more than one piece on the go so that once you've wrapped up the recital piece you already have something in process and you don't feel the "let down" so much.

I haven't heard the Hobbit music yet, but I know I loved the music in the Lord of the Rings films. I bet you are having fun with that!

FarmGirl, I hope you are feeling better today.I am really enjoying hearing about your progress the last couple of months. It seems that you are really enjoying a surge of improvements and discoveries, and it is just plain exciting to hear about it! I'm happy for you! What about your plans for your Piano Party - is that still on or have you postponed as you aren't feeling great?

PV88 - There are lots of discussions about who (or what skills set defines) is an Adult Beginner. The term is broad, and includes those who start piano as adults with zero musical background - or with experience, but on a different instrument. It also includes what we could call re-beginners - those who had lessons as kids or young adults and are getting back to it. Then we have the ones who were beginners 10 years ago, but like this forum so much they don't want to post in the other .... Plus.... the Pianist Corner has a very different tone compared to what you find here. It is a very different mindset indeed.

(edited to add: hey, where did PV88's post go?... It was a suggestion (I belive to FarmGirl) that with a repertoire like that on the go she should feel welcome over in the Pianist Corner)

My ATOW.....I think I've got my brain wrapped around how to manage the parts I was having difficulty with in my Barocque piece. For such a short piece, it has really taken a lot of brain energy! I'm hoping to get started on the Heller "An Old Romance" this coming week. I confess to being a bit intimidated by it.

Edited by casinitaly (02/11/1303:19 AM)Edit Reason: adding info

_________________________XVIII-XXXVIIFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90

Cheryl, I'm not 100% but getting better thanks. I'm glad i stayed home the weekend. No postponement of my party. The only change is that I won't do too much with respect to food. I will supply some finger food, wine/beer, dessert and pizza. I got the cleaning ladies secured in the morning. So at least my house will be cleaner. It will be fun. I wish I could fly you over here! But it's only Arizona there isn't much to see. Let me know when you do have a piano party there! Not sure if I have enough money but I will give it a serious consideration - I love Italy!

Glad you are feeling better FarmGirl!!! Yes, yes, Cheryl, an Italian piano party sounds marvelous!!!My AOTW is that I managed to make the arpeggios in the Benda piece sound nice and smooth, the first two pages of the Moonlight sound even smoother, and.......I GOT MY FIRST COLLLECTION OF PHILIP GLASS PIANO PIECES. I know ABFrs are mixed in their appreciation of him (given my screen name it is obvious I LOVE LOVE LOVE him....hey maybe I will change my name to glasslovelovelove). I have begun to work on Metamorhosis I and am having the best time with it. My kids have been particularly sweet regarding my playing of this piece. Several times over the course of the weekend they walked into the room and said "Oh, I thought that was a CD!!!" (my youngest hasn't fully learned the art of flattery yet...his statement was followed by "Oh yeah, can I have some Doritos?"

JimF, you know you're going to get pestered about the 3-against-4 ditty you gave FarmGirl until you 'fess up.

At the risk of offending someone, ok here it is.

for 4 against 3 in my Pucinni my teach gave me a mnemonic that's a bit off color, but effective.

Pass The G-d damn Butter B----R----L---R------L--R

(B=both hands, R=right, L=left)Sorry if this is a wee bit offensive. Just trying to help.If you tap it out with your hands like that you will get the feel for the mnemonic right away. Easy enough to change which hand gets the 4 by switching the L's and R's.

This morning I had a nice AOTW. Was able to play through all three pages of Moonlight 1st movement error free and with most if not all of the notes sounding about as I wanted them. Moreover, it felt good. I did something similar on Saturday, but thought it might be a fluke. Definitely chuffed.

Good for you Jim! I love hearing how chuffed you are! That has got to be mega delightful, playing through so much of Moonlight with such satisfaction - I bet your wife is enjoying it too!

And lo ! We badgered it out of you. None of us can take offense, really. Now I have to confess, I really don't have a clue what kind of music notation this is all about! Any chance of someone posting a pic of a few bars?I'm sure many of you get it, but I don't.

Christine... you know it wasn't til a few months ago that I actually learned who Mr. Glass was! Ah, t'is the evening for confessions! I listened to a themed recital put together by folks in the Rostosky group - and actually decided that his music isn't exactly my cup of tea ... but I thought the group had done a great job in their performances. However, your excitement shines through and I am keen to hear what you do with your new sheet music! Great work on the Benda too! woohoo!

FarmGirl - sounds like you have made some great choices for organizing your Piano Party.Believe me if I organize one - you'll be invited! You too Christine!I think it would be a real blast to have a Piano World party over here - and I've actually found 3 members who are not "too" far from me.....it isn't impossible....

_________________________XVIII-XXXVIIFollow your teacher's instructions and practice wisely/much, and you'll soon wonder how you ever found it hard. BobPicklePerformance anxiety: make it part of your daily routine and deal with it...Cope! zrtf90

Christine, kids are brutally honest. It means that you played very well. Nice.

JimF, congrats for the progress you made on the sonata. I have never played anything note perfect. I have a loose screw in my head, I think.

Cheryl, it's 3 notes against 4. Chopin Étude I'm doing, is all about how to play 3 notes against 4. Each of his étude has a distinctive stuff that a student has to learn. It's hard. You can easily picture me sweating at it. It's such finger twisters. Another reason why JimF's phrase is great. I will take a pic of my book and post it here.

It may not be easy to see it but this 3 against 4 example. The piece is Chopin Trois Nouvelles Etudes #1. Or Étude #25.

I get the pattern of what is supposed to be going on with the hands, but I'm having a little trouble w/ the math here... 6 quarter notes in the treble clef, 8 eighth notes in the bass clef. Is the time signature different between the two clefs??

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"...when you do practice properly, it seems to take no time at all. Just do it right five times or so, and then stop." -- JimF